Wildwood Soup Kitchen started operating out of a small building in Oxford nearly 35 years ago and has prepared and served food from the kitchens of the First Presbyterian Church of Wildwood since 1994.

Now, the nonprofit is preparing for a major move, targeting a May 15 reopening at 610 N Main St., the former home of Coney Island Hot Dogs, a longtime local spot known for its fair-style grub.

The new 3,500 square foot space, roughly 1,000 square feet larger than the current location, will allow the kitchen to transition from a church setup into a fully equipped institutional kitchen built for high volume production.

“We’ve outgrown the current location and need more room to expand as demand for our services has gone up,” says Barbara McManus, the program’s director. “It’s now countywide throughout Sumter, reaching Bushnell, Coleman and Webster.”

Today, about 250 volunteers are active, with another 250 waiting to help. Much of that support comes from The Villages.

“It’s very spiritual and meaningful to be hands-on and do something,” Barbara says. “Just knowing we’re helping people is what drives us and why so many people show up.”

After being asked to vacate their current space, the organization made an announcement in October and has raised $2 million since, to purchase and renovate the new stand-alone building.

Rose Deneen, a pastry chef with 35 years in food service, joined the effort after seeing a call for help in the local newspaper.

“I’ve been in food service my whole life, and I thought this would be a great way to use my experience,” she says. “I really do love giving back to the community.”

Jeff Hetrick stepped in as manager in October after volunteering.

“I came in on a Thursday, started on a Friday and was asked to be the assistant,” he says. “Now I’m the manager.”

Demand has surged, with meals increasing about 20 percent week over week in the past year. The team now prepares more than 16,000 meals each month.

The transition will not be easy.

“It’s a big undertaking to move,” Jeff says. “We make more than 1,600 meals a week, so remodeling the new building, training people on new equipment and continuing service at the same time will be a challenge. We don’t want to miss a single meal.”

Greg Nicoletto, vice president and board director, is overseeing the building side of the project.

“I have experience with ministries, operations and construction,” Greg says. “This space will be more efficient with better traffic flow. The community and suppliers have been very supportive, and we’re on schedule.”

Once open, Wildwood Soup Kitchen will serve lunch six days a week, Mon-Sat. Guests will receive a dine-in meal and a take-home soup to help cover both lunch and dinner. They will also continue five-day-a-week homebound meal deliveries.

For more information: 352.748.1008 / wildwoodsoupkitchen.org

Photos: Gina Horan